Search

Recent Posts

Archive

Jackets Fall, Richards Displeased

Posted Sep 17, 2013
by Aaron Portzline
| 0 comments

Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards was mildly disappointed with the way his club played Sunday against Pittsburgh. The disappointment grew to slighty worry last night, when the Jackets lost 3-1 to the Buffalo Sabres in Nationwide Arena.

Asked what he liked about the game, Richards said he was pleased to see goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky played well (13 saves, 15 shots) and felt comfortable when the top defensive pair of Fedor Tyutin and Jack Johnson were on the ice.

Oh, and he really liked Boone Jenner.

“Boone made himself noticeable out on the ice,” Richards said. “He worked. You could tell watching guys skate off the ice from a shift, and he was spent. He was giving it everything he’s got.”

Jenner centered a line with R.J. Umberger and Josh Anderson. They were on the ice for the Blue Jackets only goal. Umberger, who has 1-2-3 in two preseason games, flipped home a rebound off a Tim Erixon shot to make it 1-1 Blue Jackets at 4:29 of the second.

That, folks, was about the extent of the highlights.

Jenner is in a pitched battle for a roster spot. Right now, there's not an obvious hole. It is his job -- his plan -- to hammer out that spot.

"It was a good first game," Jenner said. "Obviously, I have to keep building off it, but I felt pretty good out there, though, right off the hop."

Richards wasn't sounding any alarms. And history shows that most NHL players treat the early days of training camp with less than a sense of urgency. But he did sound mildly worried -- miffed? -- that the gas pedal isn't pressed against the floorboards.

""You've got some guys who are pushing and some guys who are cruising through," Richards said. "We have to be more intense, more ready.

"We've talked about being ready for Oct. 4. I'll tell you one thing that does concern me right now ... Are we waiting for Oct. 4 and thinking there's going to be a switch, and we're just going to turn the switch on? It doesn't happen that way. We're going to be caught off guard a little bit if that's our outlook going in (to the season)."

Marcus Foligno scored two goals for the Sabres. He wins the Foligno family pool tonight. More on that in Wednesday's Dispatch.

Cannon Fodder Podcast

Cannon Fodder is the podcast from The Dispatch sports team covering the Blue Jackets. Tune in for lively discussions about the ta and the rest of the NHL. Subscribe to the show through its RSS feed or iTunes.

Commentary from the Dispatch

Columnist Michael Arace shares his thoughts on the Blue Jackets and the NHL.